Improvement in car-couplings



C. D. NORMAN.

CAR-COUPLING.

Faten'ted July 3,1877.v

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ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES N. PETERS. mom-Umosmwn. wA sumeroN, D c.

UNITED STATES CHARLES D. NORMAN, or AME'S, IOWIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 192,710, dated July 3, 1877; application filed March 13, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES D. NORMAN, of Ames, in the county of Story and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Oar-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention is an improvement in the class of car-couplings in which the draw-head is provided with spring-jaws hinged near the front thereof, and inclining inward or toward each other at their rear ends, to adapt them to engage with an arrow-headed draw-bar, and having mechanism for opening them against the stress of springs.

My improvement relates to the construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of the draw-head, with the top plate removed; Fig.2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan.

-Fig. dis an inverted plan, with the toggle device set to hold the hinged jaws of the drawhead open.

The parallel plates at b compose the main portion of the draw-head, and form the top and bottom thereof. They may be specially constructed for the purpose, or the plates of the draw-head used in the ordinary link-andpin coupling may be employed instead; but in the latter case I dispense with the buffingring attached to the front of the draw-head.

The jaws c 0, formed of wrought or boilerplate iron, are hinged on the bolts d d, which pass through and serve to connect the front corners of the plates a I). Said jaws extend backward, and their rear ends are attached .to vertical guide and draft rods 0 c, which slotted link B differs from the old form only in the provision of shoulders l. on the ends thereof. These shoulders are formed by upsetting the metal in the operation of forming the link proper, and do not appreciably add to its cost. They engage the inner ends of jaws c 0 when the link B enters the drawhead A, the springs g g yielding to allow the jaws to open and close for the purpose.

The draft applied through the medium of the link tends to bring the inner ends of the jaws together; but this is prevented by the" rods c e and the location of slots f f. The rods h h likewise relieve the jaws c c and pivot-bolts d d of parts of the draft-strain.

The plates 0, b of the draw-head have coincident holes m to adapt the draw'head for use of the ordinary coupling-pin. The link B, being adapted for use with such, as well as with the hinged jaws c c, it is apparent that my 06. The arms are connected to a pin, 10,

which slides in a lengthwise slot, g, formed in bottom plate 12, and so located that the movement of the pin is limitedthat is to say, said slot extends back of a straight line, joining the outer ends of slots f f. Hence, the jaws may be held open when the pin is moved back to the rear end of the slot q, since the inner ends of arms 0 are then thrown back of the straight line joining the rods. The arms and jaws may thus be set, as indicated in Fig. 4, as required, when cars are being movedor shifted on .the tracks about a depot, and it is desired they shall not couple on meeting.-

The pin is moved in either direction by a lever,

' T, which is pivoted to the lower plate b, and

projects laterally therefrom.-

In the case of a car leaving the track and overturning, the shoulders of the link B will be disengaged from the draw-head.

What I claim is--- The combination of the wrought-iron jaws and described, whereby the toggle-arms may 0 c, the pivot and guide rods 01 d and e e, the be set to hold the jawsopen, as specified.

top and bottom draw-head plates a 6, pro- The above specification of my invention vided with the curved coincident slots ff, signed this 10th day of March, 1877.

and the bottom plate having the lengthwise I O. D. NORMAN. slot q extending in rear of said curved slots, the Witnesses toggle-arms 0 o, the joint and guide pin 12, the SOLON O. KEMON,

hand-lever r, pivoted to plate b, all as shown Amos W. HART. 

